Hindustan Shipyard

Hindustan Shipyard Limited
Government-owned corporation
Industry Shipbuilding
Founded 21 June 1941 (1941-06-21)[1]
Headquarters Visakhapatnam, India
Key people
 RAdm L.V. Sarat Babu, NM, IN (Retd), Chairman & MD
Services Ship building
Ship repair
Website www.hslvizag.in
A view of the Hindustan Shipyard at Visakhapatnam

Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) is a shipyard located in Visakhapatnam on the east coast of India.

History

Aerial View of HSL

Founded as the Scindia Shipyard, it was built by industrialist Walchand Hirachand as a part of The Scindia Steam Navigation Company Ltd.[2] Walchand selected Vishakhaptnam[3] as a strategic and ideal location and took possession of land in November 1940.[4] The World War II was going on and in April 1941, the Japanese bombed the town.[4] However, Walchand was unfettered and decided to go ahead with his plan of building a shipbuilding industry in India.[4] In the days when it was unthinkable of foundation ceremony to be done by anyone other than British officials, the truly patriotic Walchand decided to break the tradition and the foundation stone for the shipyard was laid by Dr. Rajendra Prasad on 21 June 1941, who was acting Congress President at that time.[4][5] The first ship to be constructed fully in India after independence was built at the Scindia Shipyard and named Jal Usha. It was launched in 1948 by Jawaharlal Nehru by the first Prime Minister of India, at a ceremony where the families of Seth Walchand Hirachnd, late Narottam Morarjee and Tulsidas Kilachand, the partners of Scindia Shipyard, were present along with other dignitaries and industrialists.

Walchand died in 1953, and the Scindia Shipyard continued to flourish under next of kins of founders. However, later on the government of India decided to nationalise the Scindia Shipyard, as it was a sensitive and strategic sector related to defence sector of the country. The shipyard was finally nationalised in 1961 and renamed Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL).

In 2010, HSL was transferred from the Ministry of Shipping to the Ministry of Defence. The yard played a critical role in the development of nuclear-powered, Arihant class submarine.[6]

Facilities

The shipyard is relatively compact at 46.2 hectares (0.462 km2). It is equipped with the plasma cutting machines, steel processing and welding facilities, material handling equipment, cranes, logistics and storage facilities. It also has testing and measuring facilities.

It has a covered building dock for building vessels up to 80,000 DWT. There are three slipways and a 550 metres (1,800 ft) fitting-out jetty.[7]

HSL has a dry dock, wet basin and repair delphin for ship and submarine repair and retrofitting.[8]

Vessels

HSL had built over 180 vessels till now and repaired almost 2000 ships. It builds bulk carriers, offshore patrol vessels, survey ships, drill ships, offshore platforms and repair and support vessels.[2]

It also conducts major overhauls of Indian Navy submarines, and is being equipped to construct nuclear-powered submarines. However, the shipyard has a history of protracted refits. The submarines Vela, Vagli, and Sindhukirti each spent almost 10 years for a single refit at HSL. Where a Russian shipyard would deploy 200 workers in three shifts to complete the refit in two years, HSL deployed only 50 workers to work on Sindhukirti.[9]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/Andhra-Pradesh/2017-11-24/Hindustan-Shipyard-Limited-celebrates-Foundation-Day/341178
  2. 1 2 "Hindustan Shipyard: Making Waves". India Today. 9 October 2009. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  3. ↑ PM's speech at the release of a Commemorative Postage Stamp honouring Seth Walchand Hirachand
  4. 1 2 3 4 Business Legends By Gita Piramal. 1999. p. 165.
  5. ↑ "About Us". Hindustan Shipyard Limited. Archived from the original on 8 October 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  6. ↑ "Govt moves Hindustan Shipyard to Defence ministry". The Times of India. 24 December 2009. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  7. ↑ "Ship Building". Hindustan Shipyard Limited. Archived from the original on 8 October 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  8. ↑ "Ship Repairs". Hindustan Shipyard Limited. Archived from the original on 8 October 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  9. ↑ Unnithan, Sandeep (November 17, 2008). "Navy's sub induction plan suffers blow". India Today.

Coordinates: 17°41′25.12″N 83°16′23.8″E / 17.6903111°N 83.273278°E / 17.6903111; 83.273278

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